12dz Chapter 89 Annual Gathering
Chapter 89 Annual Gathering
Shen Qing watched him walk away, and frowned.
Sun Wenyuan was a smart man, and the smarter a person is, the easier it is to spot flaws.
Judging from his words and actions, Shen Qing felt that something seemed off about him.
But for now, Shen Qing can only stall until the day when Shen Qing officially takes over Qingyun and until Mo Wentian leaves the scene, before making any plans.
The thirteenth day of the first lunar month.
Zhong Xiu, Xu Ping, Fang Xue, Wang Shouan, and Wang Shouning knelt before the ancestral hall and received a bag of silver money handed over by Shen Qing.
"The five of you will go down the mountain today to Qinghe County and purchase all the wine, meat, vegetables and other necessities needed for the annual gathering."
Shen Qing instructed in Mo Wentian's tone, "In addition, there is still a lot of furniture and utensils in the mansion left by the Huang family. Find Zhao Shoucheng and the others to pick out some useful ones and move them up the mountain."
Xu Ping took the silver pouch, weighed it in his hand, and his eyes widened: "Grandmaster Uncle, so much silver?"
The bag contained two silver ingots, along with some gold leaves, probably worth several hundred taels.
Shen Qing said, "There are over fifty people on the mountain, so the New Year's Eve dinner can't be meager. The remaining money should be given to Zhong Xiu for safekeeping, to be used for the academy's reopening expenses after the New Year."
Zhong Xiu accepted the silver pouch, bowed, and said nothing more.
After the five of them descended the mountain, Shen Qing stood alone at the mountain gate, spreading his divine sense to cover the entire Qingyun Mountain. The mountain was exceptionally quiet, waiting for the annual gathering to arrive, at which time the identity of Mo Wentian should be retired.
On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, the disciples went up the mountain one after another.
Zhao Shoucheng, along with Lin Shouwei and Chen Shouxin, rushed back from the county town, bringing with them several bolts of newly torn blue cloth.
They said it was the first sale the city's cloth shop made after the New Year, and they gave it a discount for good luck.
Wang Shouzhou and Su Shoujing led a group of outer disciples back from the direction of the dock, each carrying rice and noodles on their shoulders.
Zhong Xiu and his group of five had already prepared all the New Year's goods yesterday, and today they went to a farmer's house at the foot of the mountain to collect a few live chickens and ducks, which they kept in bamboo cages behind the kitchen.
By evening, fifty-two disciples had gathered on the mountain.
A dozen square tables were set up in the open space in front of the Ancestral Hall, and smoke curled from the kitchen. Several female disciples were busy running around under Fang Xue's leadership.
Shen Qing stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at everything, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Two months ago, when he was forced to fake his death and enter the coffin, he never imagined that he would be like this today, with his disciples sitting around the table, the aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen, and lanterns lighting up one by one on the mountain—what a magnificent scene!
"Uncle-Master."
A deep voice came from behind. Shen Qing turned around and saw Zhou Bo, disguised as Shen Qing, standing a few steps away.
The moonlight fell on that much younger face, making it appear somewhat unrealistically pale.
"metropolitan."
Zhou Bo lowered his voice, speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear, "Tomorrow is the year-end gathering, and Sun Wenyuan has also invited Ma Wenzhong, the instructor of Qinghe County, and Zhou Shi'an, the tutor. How do you plan to deal with these two?"
Shen Qing frowned slightly. The instructor and the tutor were both officials from the county school, and they were also listed as instructors at the academy.
Sun Wenyuan had his reasons for inviting them; the academy needed the county school's approval and support to reopen after the New Year.
However, the problem is that Mo Wentian's identity should not be frequently revealed in official circles.
Fortunately, Zhou Bo, disguised as Shen Qingming, was also present, so the real issues that needed to be addressed could be left to Zhou Bo.
"Uncle Zhou, you will sit in the main seat tomorrow."
Shen Qing said in a low voice, "Now that you are the head of the Qingyun Sect, it is your duty to entertain guests. I will simply accompany you as an elder."
Zhou Bo remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
The Lantern Festival is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Before it even got dark, the red lanterns in front of the Ancestral Hall were already lit up one by one, illuminating the entire mountain with a warm glow.
Under the festive decorations, a dozen square tables were arranged in three rows, and the tables were filled with food and wine. Although they were not delicacies, they included chicken, duck, fish and meat, as well as several jars of rice wine bought from wine shops in Qinghe County.
Although the event wasn't particularly grand, it had a down-to-earth feel and a festive atmosphere of reunion.
The disciples took their seats one after another. The fifty-two disciples sat around the long table in the outer circle, and everyone had a smile on their face.
Wang Shouzhou sat among the outer disciples, loudly recounting his experiences working at the dock.
Su Shoujing sat next to him, occasionally kicking him under the table to make him quieter.
The Huang brothers sat at the end of the long table, and because of their status, they simply listened quietly.
They were entrusted by Huang Wenyuan to re-enter Qingyun in order to preserve this lineage and seek some hope for the survival of their clansmen who were far away from Qinghe. Naturally, their actions could no longer be compared with when they first entered Qingyun last year.
At the main table, Shen Qing, disguised as Mo Wentian, sat on the left, while Zhou Bo, disguised as Shen Qing, sat on the right.
Sun Wenyuan sat next to Shen Qing, and Li Molin and Fang Jingzhi, who had returned to the academy yesterday, took their seats in turn.
Ma Wenzhong, the instructor of Qinghe County, and Zhou Shi'an, the instructor, who had been invited to the event, were sitting in the guest seats and talking quietly with Sun Wenyuan.
Shen Qing's gaze swept across the main table. He picked up his wine cup, his face displaying an unapproachable expression, but his tone was extremely gentle.
"Instructor Ma and Instructor Zhou, you two have put in a lot of effort for the affairs of my Qingyun Academy. Today, I, Mo, would like to offer you both a toast."
Ma Wenzhong quickly stood up and returned the greeting: "Senior, you are too kind. Qingyun Academy is an important place for education in Qinghe. It is my honor to be able to contribute to the academy."
Zhou Shi'an also stood up, held the cup with both hands, and drank it all in one gulp.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
The atmosphere at the banquet gradually warmed up. Wang Shouzhou held a wine bowl and toasted each of the outer disciples, while Su Shoujing followed behind, pouring wine for him.
As fellow disciples, their relationship was obvious to everyone, which is why wherever they went, they would attract the ire of their fellow disciples.
Fang Xue came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly made osmanthus cakes, and was surrounded by several female disciples who were scrambling to grab them.
Zhong Xiu remained seated in the corner, quietly eating her food. Occasionally, she would raise her head, her gaze passing over the figures at the table and landing on the main table before quickly looking away.
Shen Qing, in his capacity as Mo Wentian, sat in the main seat, listening to Sun Wenyuan and Ma Wenzhong discuss the enrollment of children this year, occasionally interjecting with a few innocuous remarks.
His divine sense was constantly monitoring the entire scene, noting the disciples' emotions and any unusual movements.
Everything is moving in a positive direction. The loyalty of some disciples, which had fallen due to the Huang family conflict, is recovering amid the lively atmosphere of the annual gathering.
At the outermost long table, Huang An suddenly stood up, carried a bowl of wine to Zhao Shoucheng, and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, I toast you."
Zhao Shoucheng glanced at him, said nothing, picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Huang An finished the wine in his bowl, his eyes slightly red, but he didn't shed a tear. He and Huang Ning were under a lot of pressure.
The two brothers often thought back to how things would have been better if the Huang family hadn't clashed with the Qingyun Sect, since they were already disliked by the Huang family.
If they hadn't come to Qingyun and become instructors at the academy, they would never have received such respect.
But life is unpredictable, and disappointments are frequent. What can be done? What can be done?!
As night deepened and the wine flowed more freely, the night grew deeper.
The rice wine jars on the main table emptied and filled again, filled and emptied again.
Ma Wenzhong was slightly drunk, and holding Sun Wenyuan's hand, he repeatedly said, "With you at Qingyun Academy, there is hope for education in Qinghe."
Zhou Shi'an leaned back in his chair, his eyes half-closed, seemingly half-asleep.
Mr. Li Molin and Mr. Fang Jingzhi had already fallen into a drunken stupor and were helped to a side room to rest by several disciples.
Zhou Bo, disguised as Shen Qing, stood up and offered the last round of toasts. As the sect leader, he said a few words of encouragement for the coming year, and then left the table early, citing his recent recovery from serious injuries.
He left at just the right moment, fulfilling the proper etiquette of a sect leader without revealing any flaws by saying too much.